CASES OF PAPAL DEPOSITIONS VAINLYALLEGED. 305 judgment or censure, but a common one, which himself could exer- cise, which all bishops might exercise. " It is," says he, " our part to provide and succour in such a case ;" for " therefore is the body of priests so numerous," that " by joint endeavour they may suppress heresies and schisms."l The case being such, St Cyprian earnestly moves Pope Stephen to concur in exercise of discipline on that schismatic, and to prosecute effectually the business by his letters, persuading his fellow-bishops in France " that they would not suffer Marcian to insult over the college of bishops,"9 for to them, it seems, the transaction immedi- ately belonged. To do thus St Cyprian implies and prescribes to be the pope's special duty, not only out of regard to the common interest, but for his particular concernment in the case: " Multo magis tu," &c., "Much more thou;" that schism having been first advanced against his predecessors. St Cyprian also, if we mark it, covertly taxes the pope of negli- gence, in not having soon enoughjoined with himself and the com- munity of bishops in censuring that delinquent: " Quod nedum vide- atur a nobis abstentus." We may add, that the church of Arles and Gaul, being near Italy, the pope may be allowed to have some greater sway there than else- where in more distant places; so that St Cyprian thought his letters, to quickendiscipline there, might be proper and particularly effectual. These things being duly considered, what advantage can they draw from this instance? does it not rather prejudice their cause, and afford a considerable objection against it? We may observe, that the strength of their argumentation mainly consists in the words quibus abstento : which, as thedrift of thewhole epistle and parallel expressions therein show, signify no more than quibus efficiaturut abstento, "whichmay procure him to be excommu- nicated;" not quce contineant abstentionem, "which [may] contain excommunication," as P. [Peter] de Marca glosses [the expression]; although, admitting that sense, it would not import much, seeing only thereby the pope would have signified his consent with other bishops: wherefore, De Marca has no great cause to blame us that we do "not deprehend any magnificent thing in this place for the dignity ofthe papal see."3 Indeed, hehas, I must confess, better eyes than I, who can see any such mighty things there for that purpose. As for the substitution of another in the room of Marcian, that was i Cui rei nostrum est consulere, et subvenire, &c. Idcirco eopiosum est corpussneer.. dotum, &c. Quando ipse est ab universis sacerdotibus judicatus, &c. 2 Facere to oportet plenissimas literas ad coepiscopos nostros in Galliis constitutes, ne ultra Marcianum collegio nostro insultare patiantur, &c. 3 Marc. vii. 1, 6. VOL. L 20
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